Amid increasing religiosity among Singaporeans as a whole, a developing trend is being watched with concern by the Government: A sentiment among some younger Muslims that sending greetings to friends on other religious festivals or reciting the National Pledge and serving National Service are at odds with their faith.

Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam warned of this trend in his opening address yesterday at a two-day symposium organised by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

As religiosity sweeps the world, the Muslim population here is also growing “somewhat more distant” from the rest of the community, partly due to influences from the Middle East. Some people also feel that the democratic elected governance system here is “incompatible with Islam” and Singapore should be part of a caliphate, he added.